Advantages

Disadvantages

A great vacuum cleaner

My useless old vacuum cleaner finally did one too many summersaults and fell down the stairs so before buying another failure I contacted Nar the vacuum cleaner guru on Dooyoo and ciao and asked him which he recommended and this is one he suggested out of a few and this to me seemed to do all I wanted and was not a ridiculously expensive price. It was also available on Amazon and as I had some vouchers saved up it meant that I didn't actually have to pay out too much money.

COST , WHERE TO BUY, WARRANTY

As I said I ordered mine through Amazon as I have found that their customer service is spot on. If I have needed to return things there is no fuss. I have returned shoes that didn't fit and also a computer that didn't switch on, neither of which had I to pay for and both were sorted straight away. I thought this was always a good thing to know when ordering electrical items. It is available in stores and other sites but the prices do vary, Amazon were the cheapest for the same product too.

I paid £114 or there abouts and that is the price it is on their website today and there is free delivery too which many sites do not offer.

Another positive for this product is that you get a two year warranty free but you can choose to pay to extend this if you choose. You do have to send off the slip giving the details to Bosch once you have the item in order to ensure you have your two year warranty but that only takes minutes of your time and is a freepost. You can also do that online which is what I did.

The extended warranty covers accidents as well and costs £52 for the five years including the first free two year breakdown. It is not a bad price but I chose not to bother and hope I don't regret it.

WHO ARE BOSCH?

I have not had any other products from this company before as I have previously thought they were rather expensive. Bosch as you might have guessed from the name are a German company and the Germans are known for their design and engineering skills and producing quality stuff and this is no exception. Bosch component parts are all rigorously tested in order that they meet the highest of standards and are reliable and efficient.

Weight :Firstly the weight is light which means that I can carry it easily up and down my many stairs which was a bid problem with my old upright Dyson which weighed a ton. I can carry this and vacuum the stairs at the same time as I move up or down the various levels. Ours is a three story house with stairs that turn so we have four parts of steps on one side of the house and one long set on the part of the house that is only two stories. That is hard work to vacuum soothe lighter the machine the better.

Suction:However weight is not the only factor I do need to have a pretty strong suction for the carpeted areas and this had a really strong suction which means I can vacuum cobwebs from the ceiling without scraping the ceiling and also get all the muck from the stairs which seem to get a lot of traffic.

This is not only very good at sucking when needed in places like the crevices between car seats but you can also turn the suction down so that when I vacuum the rugs I don't end up having to pull the rug out of the nozzle to try and vacuum the rug with a foot on each corner to hold it down. You can do this by easily turning the on/off button and you can do it while the machine is on, it takes so little effort.

This little vacuum gets a lot of use for vacuuming cars as my step daughter comes over to clean her car here. She would have to do it on the road and with granddaughter helping our garden is much safer and of course she uses my vacuum cleaner. My step son now lives back at home with us and does his car occasionally, we have two cars and my daughter cleans hers every time she comes up from London as she too cannot do it from her flat.

Noise level:The 2000W motor means that it does a great job and has that powerful suction and also doesn't screech too much. The Dyson noise used to really get to my ears after a while. This is in no way silent but it doesn't seem to have that awful high pitch and it is quieter than the vacuum my neighbor uses as we can hear hers from our house whereas I can't hear ours when others are using it outside.

10 metre operating radius:

The cord is pretty long and that combined with the hose and the extendable metal pipe gives me a really good working distance and I can do the entire first floor of our house only moving the plug once. Ours is a very narrow long house so that is great for me as previously I had to move the plug for every room which was a real pain in the neck. Vacuuming is hard work and boring at the best of times but if you have to constantly go back and move the plug to another socket it becomes frustrating as well as hard work and boring.

I also love how easily the cord comes out and retracts even when I am using it so the cord is never in the way. If when I am putting it away the cord doesn't go back in straight away, all I have to do is pull it out a little and then it rushes back into its secret hole very speedily.

Extendable tube with adjusting sleeve and locking collar:I am pretty short but I am really thrilled at how easy it is to extend the metal pipe part of the hose. I can quickly slip it back to its shortest when doing the stairs and then extend it again for each landing and when I get to the rooms. Previously I would end up on my knees as my back was bent just at that awkward painful angle all the time. This really is so easy and it goes in and out with a quick slide but by locking it you don't find it changing length while you are using it

Superior AirClean 2 filtration along with Airsafe technology:This vacuum is great for those with dust mite and pet hair allergies because it has bags so you don't have to empty a cylinder and get the stuff floating back over you when emptying it outside into the bin. I used to hate emptying my Dyson and Hoover because all the yuk in the cylinder carefully filtered into the container would then fly all over me when I went to tip it into the bin which rather negated the point of all the filters on the machine for me. I would then have to go and wash my face and hands and change my clothes or spend the rest of the day sniffing and itching.

This is so simple. All I have to do is open the vacuum and remove the bag which is made of a fabric that looks like a filter and then I pop the whole thing in the bin. There is no leakage into the bag area of the machine and then I just replace the bag with a new one. I have not found this any more expensive than replacing all the Dyson filters and it is a lot more pleasant for me.

This vacuum has a micro hygiene filter and an exhaust filter too so very little is going to escape to cause any allergy irritation. The other thing I have noticed, and we have had this nearly a year now, is that it doesn't have that nasty stale vacuum smell when I am using it despite vacuuming up some very grubby cars. I hate that horrible stale smell you get from some vacuums. I have recently popped a lemon scented vacuum freshener in it and can't even smell that so it is doing a great job of keeping what id collected in the bag and nowhere else.

It also has a bionic filter and Air fresh system whatever that is and if the lack of sneezing after vacuuming and lack of stale smell is anything to go by all these filters are doing their job. The micro active carbon filter is supposed to be changed twice a year. The Hepa filter which is an additional filter they recommend for allergy sufferers needs to be replaced once a year.

I have to admit we have not changed any filters and I am not even sure where they are so I better get the instruction book out to find out where they are and what sort we have.

Bags:

These can be bought from Amazon and you can either buy the Bosch branded ones or the cheaper no named ones. I have bought both and can honestly say the cheaper ones are fine. There is not leakage at all and they are the same size but the fabric it is made from looks a little different. I will be buying the cheaper non branded ones in future. The instruction book does say you must only use Bosch branded bags and filters but I can't see what harm is going to come to the machine using the non branded bags.

Obviously NEVER use the vacuum without a bag in it all at as it will not work and may damage the machine.

The vacuum has an indicator to let you know when the bag is full so you don't have to keep opening it to check.

The bags and filters are made of environmentally friendly material so can be disposed of in the normal rubbish bin.

Tools:

This vacuum comes with a basic adjustable floor tool which I use most of the time as we have a lot of hard floors as well as carpeted rooms. It also comes with a TURBO-UNIVERSAL tool which is great for vacuum pet hairs, cat hair seems to multiply in our house and this does a great job of getting it off the carpets. We do keep the cats out of many of the rooms with carpets but when we have a houseful of gamily they are not so good at shutting the doors and they like them on their beds so after they all go I have to go around the house with the TURBO tool getting all the cat hair off the carpets.

The crevice tool is wonderful when using the vacuum on full suction in order to get into those corners in the interior of the cars and it really gets all the gunk out. It is also useful to get into corners under the desks and into narrow spaces between furniture.

The upholstery nozzle doesn't get a lot of use but from time to time I do our mattresses. We have leather sofas and chairs so I clean then with a damp cloth and leather cleaner rather than vacuuming them.

SAFTETY

The vacuum is designed as a domestic appliance and is not for commercial use.

Use with the correct power supply.

Always use a dust bag fitted as you may damage the machine.

The machine can be use by children over 8, those with reduced physical, sensory or metal capacity under supervision only.

The vacuum cleaner must not be used for cleaning people and animals. Yes it honestly does say that.

Never vacuum up hot substances , things with sharp edges or hazardous substances OR damp or liquid stuff OR flammable or explosive substances.

It also says not to use it for vacuuming soot from tiled stoves and central heating systems.

Also should not be used for vacuuming toner dust from printers and copiers.

Keep the suction pipe away from your head while in use!!!!

When vacuuming the stairs the appliance must always be lower than you so it doesn't fall onto you.

Unplug the vacuum before carrying out any maintenance like changing the bag and filters.

AT THE END OF ITS LIFE

Hopefully in many years time the vacuum should be disposed of at a recycling centre and not put in the bin.

SUMMARYSo there you have it; my lovely lightweight little machine that sucks like a trooper when needed and doesn't fill my lungs and nostrils with yukky dust when emptying. The bags are not too expensive and worth it for me not to have a lung full of dust when emptying.

I love the long retractable cord, the lightweight machine, the eco friendly dust bags and the extendable metal telescopic tube.

It is quite small and easy to carry as there is a handle at both ends. It stands on its end for storage and I find it stores easier if I remove the metal extendable pipe and stand that separately.

So thank Nar for your advice. I am so pleased to have a machine that runs smoothly without turning over constantly and sucks really well at variable strengths depending on my choice and needs.

I am sure there is probably something I have missed but if you have got this far you have probably learned enough and this is quite long enough so thanks for persevering to the end.

Comments

Product Details

You don't have to decide between having a beautifully clean home and owning a pet when you have the Bosch BSGL3205GB / This vacuum cleaner accommodates a high quality turbo brush , which gently agitates surfaces and helps the mighty 2000W powered suction lift dirt and dust out even more effectively / Variable suction settings and the multi floor tool give you maximum control and allow you to vacuum a variety of surfaces / Superior AirClean 2 filtration along with Airsafe technology ensures that dirt and dust remain sealed in the dust bag, while guaranteeing clean exhaust air / ideal for allergy sufferers / Three soft-coated wheels provide enhanced mobility, and the metal telescopic tubes further make this vacuum cleaner comfortable to use / Self-sealing dustbags make for a secure vacuuming experience, while a handy indicator lets you know when the dustbag needs changing / The crevice tool makes those hard-to-reach places easy to clean, and a 10m operating radius leaves no area un-vacuumed! / Short name: Bosch BSGL3205GB